So You're Half a Roommate Then?
by Ogygian Spring
Summary: Annabeth's moved back to New York to solve a case, given to her by Chiron. Unfortunately, she and Percy have to try and keep their mortal roommates out of harms way- which is made harder by the fact that they want to help. Well. I can only hope the story is better than the summary. Please review! Tell me what I'm doing wrong! Rated T cause I'm a scaredy-cat!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So I'm new to this whole process, but I appreciate any reviews I get. You guys are awesome!**

* * *

"Slow down, Hopscotch, would ya? Not all of us have long legs like you." Amelia worked to catch up to the faster man. "You told me that you knew someone willing to be my roommate." She began walking backwards as she jabbed a finger into her best friend's chest. Sebastian couldn't help but smirk at her excitability. "You haven't told me who…" She sang the last words. Sebastian stayed quiet, mostly just to pester Amy. He knew how curious she could get, and how much she enjoyed knowing things.

"Are you gonna tell me?" She poked his arm. "Tellmetellmetellmetellmetell-"

"Fine, fine, I give," Seb responded, finally laughing. "You know the guy that I room with?"

"Yeessss," Amelia said, drawing the word out in exasperation. "The dark-haired hottie that we hang out with like every other day. Of course I know him."

Sebastián had only roomed with him for about two weeks, but they'd grown close quickly. Seb's 'whatever' attitude, paired with his roommate's slightly more chaotic one, had worked together surprisingly well.

They entered the coffee shop. Seb continued. "Well he's got a girlfriend-"

"Aw, dang."

"-And she's coming in to do a few semesters of college with some sort of student exchange program. So she needs a place to stay. Americano, por favor."

"She'll help pay rent though, right? Caramel Frappucino. Grande. Please."

"Soon as she gets a job, si. They're meeting us here in half an hour."

"Yes!" Amy loved meeting new people. "Wait, do I look okay? I didn't even brush my hair this morning…"

* * *

"Oh dang. She's prettier than me." Amy elbowed Seb. "Seb… she's prettier than me. Probably smarter too. Gosh darn."

The girl's stormy gray eyes scanned the establishment, taking in the lighting, the windows, the college students studying on laptops. She was holding hands with her green-eyed boyfriend. She held a laptop with a blue triangle on the lid in the other hand, and a baseball cap was stuffed in her back pocket. Despite her only wearing jeans and an orange t-shirt, she was still stunning.

Seb waved them over. "Hey, sorry we were here early, hermano. Got you a coffee."

"Hey, Perce," Amy greeted. "Hey, Perce's girlfriend."

The girl smiled. "My name is Annabeth."

"I'm Amy."

* * *

"There's two bedrooms, but one of them is my storage right now. Sorry. I'm a bad organizer. Kitchen is in the front, you can see, and living and dining. Dining is also storage. I will get this all cleaned, really. Most of it just has to be put away…" Amy grinned sheepishly. "But this is home. I hope it's alright?"

Annabeth smiled kindly. She could tell the girl hadn't had a roommate before, and it wasn't just because of the mess. Amy's entire composure, coupled with her age (she couldn't have been over twenty), signified that she wasn't used to living with others. Her embarrassment over the mess, for one.

"Don't worry about it. Percy's much worse about cleaning than you are. And I'll happily take the couch until the other bedroom is cleared." She set her suitcase in the small hallway. Having been used to being on the run, Annabeth grew accustomed to living out of bags of all shapes and sized. A full suitcase was a luxury. Not that she'd had to do much running recently. Living in San Francisco wasn't as bad as it could've been, but New York beckoned. Between the camp and Percy, alongside all of her other friends there, she wanted to come back. So it was a blessing when Chiron called and asked that she return to investigate an increase in NY monster activity. They'd been seen more frequently than usual, and Chiron trusted Annabeth's intelligence.

Annabeth was confident in her ability to stay undercover at this college, even knowing she could pass her classes with flying colors as she worked on the case. Her only concern was the roommates. She knew that Percy and the other guy had grown close, and Amy had been spending a lot of time with them. Would they get injured if they spent too much time with the demigods? Would they find out somehow?

Annabeth shook her head, realizing the brunette had asked her a question. "I'm sorry, Amy. I zoned. What did you ask?"

Amelia smiled, almost laughing at Annabeth's aloofness. She'd barely known the girl an hour, and already knew they'd be good friends. "Just wondering what you want to do for dinner tonight. Unless you've already eaten. Then that's cool too."

Annabeth did laugh when Amelia stumbled over her words like she did. The girl was awkward, in a cute way. She reminded her of Hazel, in a sense, the slightly awkward feel. And something about Amy felt… old. Like she was oddly mature under the layers and layers of smiling and messy living rooms. "Well you'll have to tell me the best place to get a meal around here. How's the college food? Dining Hall? "

Annabeth may not always enjoy company, but she enjoyed figuring out what makes people tick. Everyone was a new puzzle to solve.

"Oh, Sweetheart," Amy said, smiling almost maliciously. "We can do so much better than school food."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I'll try to update soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Chapter two, how about it? Thanks for favoriting/following, reviews are appreciated! Have a great day you guys! :)**

 **P.S. Don't worry about an OC impeding on Percabeth, I'd never dream of splitting them up.**

* * *

Annabeth watched as Amelia knocked repeatedly on the boys' door until one of them opened it. They'd decided to all find somewhere to eat together, since (according to Percy) neither of the apartments were fit for guests. Apparently the guys had a messy room too.

The door squeaked a little when it opened. It was Amy's friend- Sebastian. The one that must've been half Spanish, from the way he slipped into the language sometimes and his slightly darker complexion. If he were shorter with curlier hair and less stubble, he could be Leo. He was handsome, but not Percy.

Amy didn't wait for Sebastian to invite her in, but pushed past him and flopped on the couch, where she began channel surfing.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Feet off the couch, Amelia." He looked at Annabeth as he closed the door behind the girls. "Percy is getting ready. Sorry about the mess."

By 'the mess,' he must've meant the pile of nicely stacked books on the coffee table. "This isn't messy. Have you _seen_ this chick's apartment?" Annabeth crossed her arms as she sat with Amy. The girl seemed like she could handle some teasing.

Amy sent a cheesy grin in the direction of her friends. "So I haven't quite moved in yet. Gimme a break, I'm a music major, not a miracle worker."

"What do you study, Sebastian?" Annabeth asked politely, already aware of Amy's classes. She'd seen a guitar case, and keyboard somewhere in their living room, and a trumpet on top of the fridge. Not to mention the sheet music everywhere.

"Just call me Seb," he started, sitting in a chair next to the girls. "My parents gave me a name that is too long. I'm studying to be an architect." He gestured at his books. "So far, it's sorta boring."

Annabeth seemed to light up at this new bit of information. "I love architecture! That's my main study too, but I'm in a Latin-slash-Greek class as well."

Percy walked out of the hall, hair dripping water. "Almost ready… Has anyone seen my shoes? I swear they were just here…" He disappeared back toward the bedrooms, but Seb and Annabeth were none the wiser. They'd begun to talk about their favorite forms of architecture, and Amy doubted there'd be any stopping them for a while. She settled for changing the channel to a music station that Seb would've called boring, had he been paying attention.

"Found 'em," Percy announced, coming back in. "They were in the bathroom." His hair was dry now, which was funny to Amelia, considering that she hadn't heard a hair dryer. She didn't dwell on it long due to her short attention span and Percy's next words.

"Oh, gods," he said, shoulders slumping. He looked defeated. "They're talking about architecture, aren't they? This is what I was afraid of…" He grabbed his keys.

"Annabeth. Seb."

No response.

"It's worse than I thought." He sighed heavily, putting a worried hand to his forehead. Amy couldn't help but laugh at how dramatic he was acting. He put an ear toward their conversation. "I think we've lost them," he deadpanned.

Amy gasped, playing along. Percy might've been goofy, but Amelia was, too. She clambered across the couch and leaned over, putting her head on Seb's chest, finally grabbing the attention of the two architecture nerds.

"Amy, what are you-"

She put a hand over his mouth. "Shh, I'm listening for a heartbeat."

Seb rolled his eyes at Annabeth, who simply raised an eyebrow back at him. She looked at Percy in what was almost a glare, but he refused to look at her, electing instead to keep acting worried.

Amy sat back, shaking her head. "They're gone. I'm sorry."

Percy acted as though he were holding back tears, and that's when Amy lost it.

Her laugh was like a cross between a bird chirping and a snort. Annabeth couldn't help but smile, and started laughing along with her. Amy was kinda goofy, but so was Percy. She'd make a fine roommate. As long as she wasn't too nosy.

"Gods, Percy. Let it go," Annabeth laughed.

Percy wiped his eyes. "Shush, Wise Girl, I'm mourning you."

"Do what you want. I'm going to dinner." She took his keys from his jacket pocket, knowing where they were because Percy always kept his keys in his right pocket, the same side that Riptide was kept on. Otherwise he'd lose them.

"Yeah, why are you wasting time?" Amelia asked Sebastian, nudging his foot as she passed. I'm hungry. She smirked back at him, only to trip over the chair leg when she didn't watch where she was going. Good thing she wasn't easily embarrassed.

* * *

They didn't get home until ten thirty, and Amy was more than happy to kick her shoes off at the door and fall into bed. Then, remembering that she had a roommate now and that said roommate did not have a bed, she needed to fix that. She stumbled into the second bedroom and pushed all of her music junk and assorted clothing from the bedspread, and helped Annabeth replace the sheets with some gray ones she'd brought.

"Go to bed, Amy. Thanks." Annabeth was grateful that the girl had opened her apartment to her, but at the same time, Amy turned into a zombie when she was tired. Annabeth had slept in worse conditions than a cluttered room.

Not that she slept much anymore.

Amy awoke when she heard the screams. She bolted to her new friend's room, shocked to see Annabeth curled as tight as she could be. She was on the far side of the bed, muttering something. But she was very asleep. Amy vaulted over the comforter to put a hand on Annabeth's sweaty forehead, unaware of what to do. She watched Annabeth's eyes flicker under her eyelids. Saw her white knuckled hands clutch the sheets close to her face.

And she felt hopeless.

"Annabeth, what's wrong? Annabeth. Annabeth, you're scaring me."

She continued to shake and mutter.

"Annie, wake up. Please wake up." Amy was holding her shoulders now, debating whether she should shake the girl awake or not.

Annabeth's muttering got louder, loud enough for Amy to hear what she was saying.

"Dark. Falling. Arachne. Evil cheerleaders. Nico. Bob. Drakon. Button. Stupid elevator music… Percy, no. Percy… PERCY!"

It seemed just to be a random assortment of words… the nightmare she was having? But the last word made Amy wince. She sounded like she was hurting so much… How do you help someone in so much pain?

Percy.

Amy bolted from the room, running next door and knocking as loudly as she could. Who cares about how well the neighbors sleep?

A sleepy Sebastian answered, rubbing his eyes. "Can I help- Amy? What are you doing here? It's like two in the morning."

Amy was already down the hall, pushing into Percy's room to find him sitting up and blinking against the hallway's harsh lights. His room was more cluttered than the rest of the apartment, laundry on the floor and a messy bedside table.

"Percy, I need you." Immediately, his brow furrowed with worry. His first reaction was to grab the weird pen he always had on him. It was sitting on his bedside table. Amy would've spent more time wondering about it if she'd had the time to.

"What's wrong?"

"Annabeth."

Just like that, he was out the door and into the girls' apartment. Amy followed close behind, and watched as Percy knelt by Annabeth and pushed her hair from her face. He was saying something too low to make out, but it was soothing even to Amy.

She felt as though she were intruding, so she closed the door and tried to go back to sleep, trusting that Percy would take good care of her roommate. Questions, if she dared to ask any, could be saved for the next day.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey you guys! Chapter 3 is here!**

 **To my beautiful reviewers:**

 **AmericanAfroedNinja- I agree. I don't like when OC's pull attention from the main characters. I didn't even mean to write an OC story, but I was feeling inspired and this story just sort of... happened.**

 **Thebookthief- I'm hoping to pull in some other cannon characters, hopefully Piper, maybe Leo and Calypso, and who knows? Anyone could show up.**

 **chowstaniscool and DecemberRome- Thank you guys so much for the encouragement! It really means a lot.**

 **I realize I've been forgetting a disclaimer... I'll go back and add it to my other chapters as well. I do not own Percabeth! Or demigods! Or anyone! (except Amy and Seb and even then it's more of a friendship. We don't like the word 'own,' they're easily offended.)**

* * *

Annabeth was in Tartarus. It was dark. She and Percy were following Bob the Titan, Small Bob sitting on his shoulder.

She watched their battles play out again. Arachne. The Arai. Damasen killing the drakon. She saw the hoard of monsters standing by the door again, felt the icy fear as it retook her heart. She felt every emotion as though it were happening for the first time.

Twelve minutes. The button had to be pushed for twelve minutes. Percy volunteered. This time, Bob pulled her into the elevator, and Percy defended their ascent into the world.

"Percy, you can't," she tried to say. Her voice wouldn't work. She tried to cry, to call him 'Seaweed Brain,' but either she couldn't speak or he wasn't listening. He turned, gave her one last look through the closing elevator doors, and smiled at her.

She woke to his voice. "Annabeth. It's over. We're together. Come back to me." His hand was on her head, brushing her hair, gently running his fingers through the blonde mess.

"P- Percy?" She cracked her eyes open, still unconvinced that the nightmare was just that- a nightmare.

He tilted his head to look into her gray eyes, still barely open. "Hey, Wise Girl."

"Gods, Percy. I thought I lost you."

He stood to sit on the bed, his back against the headboard. Annabeth gladly rested against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She was shocked to find that her face was wet, leaving a damp spot on Percy's chest.

He pulled her closer. "I still see it too." She already knew, of course. The dark circles under their eyes weren't quite as cute as their matching gray streaks had been.

As shocked as Annabeth had been to discover herself crying, she was even more surprised to feel a tear of Percy's hit the top of her head. She hugged him harder, like she never would again. And with the dangerous life they led, you could never know.

She didn't say anything, so after a couple seconds Percy continued. "Especially if I forget to have a blue coke before bed. Caffeine nap. The first night I was over with Seb, I stayed up late unpacking and… uh… woke us both up a few hours later. And when I finally went back to my mom's." He chuckled, and Annabeth could feel the vibrations deep in his chest. "I've never seen her more worried." He rested his chin on Annabeth's head. "I don't know if they'll go away. But I'll feel better knowing you're right next door."

Annabeth nodded into his shoulder. "Me too." It was a whisper, but she was afraid to say anything louder in fear that her voice wouldn't hold.

He kissed her forehead, brushing her hair again. "Sleep well, Wise Girl."

* * *

Amy cradled her cup of coffee with utmost care. She hadn't slept much the night before, worrying about Annabeth. It wasn't normal for people to scream in the middle of the night. Amy didn't have to be a psychology student to know that her new friend was having night terrors. Even worse, she didn't know how to help. It was a good thing Percy was next door.

She'd heard him leave about an hour after he'd arrived, dragging his feet but still quiet enough that he wouldn't have woken either of them, had she been asleep. She wondered vaguely how Seb had fared, and whether he'd known anything of the circumstances. Then she wondered if Annabeth was awake.

After three minutes of debating, she was softly knocking at Annabeth's door.

"Annie?" She whispered, creaking the door open.

Annabeth was still recovering from her nightmare. On a normal morning, she could get up early and get started on the day's work. After a night like the one she just had, it takes her about half an hour to get out of bed.

She didn't bother looking over when Amy walked in. In fact, she barely noticed her friend. She was sitting up, but her gray eyes, normally so bright and intelligent, were dull and disoriented.

Annabeth was lost in her thoughts until a warm mug was pushed into her hands.

"I… um… didn't know how you drink your coffee. I just put three sugars and four creamers like Percy does."

Annabeth gratefully took the cup. She wasn't quite sure what to say to the girl. Maybe she wouldn't want someone who screamed in the middle of the night as a roommate. "I'm sorry for waking you, I'll understand if you want me to move-"

"No, Annie, I'm sorry. I'm worried. I…" Amy said. "I think you're a great friend and I just want the best for you." She smiled and sat next to Annabeth. "What do you want to do today?"

Annabeth was startled by the girl's willingness to take her mind off things. But in a good way.

Amelia crossed her arms. "Because I think you need a shopping spree. Let's grab some gals. Know anyone nearby?"

"I feel like you just want to go shopping." Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"No! I want to get your mind off of whatever it's on. And of course I want to go shopping, you've seen my pile of clothes." She gestured to the mound on the floor that had been pushed there just the night before.

"Speaking of which, I'm getting dressed. Out of my room. And yes, I have a friend that we can meet." Annabeth, who had cheered up significantly, had a certain daughter of Aphrodite to Iris Message.

* * *

Annabeth popped over to the boys' room to see Percy. He and Seb were on the X-Box, playing something violent and warlike.

"It's Skyrim. I'm actually decent with a bow and arrow in this game," he said to Annabeth's questioning look at the screen.

He paused it and walked over to kiss Annabeth. She thought she'd melt right there, until Amy ruined the moment by walking up behind her and making a noise like a strangled mongoose.

"Ugh. Couples. And while we're on the subject, could someone please find me a boyfriend?" She teased, and left to talk to Seb.

Percy smiled until she was gone, but then his mouth turned down. "Are you doing alright? We can always go to camp for a day or something, considering it's Spring Break. Maybe the beach?"

Annabeth stepped into the apartment. "I actually contacted Piper, we're gonna go into town today and shop."

"Dibs on Jason. He's killer at Assassin's Creed. Seb, we're playing Assassin's Creed next." He walked to the fridge and grabbed a coke, slightly frowning at the lack of blue before downing it.

"Knock knock," said a new voice at the door. "Anyone home?" Piper peeked into the room. Her hair was grown longer now, but was still braided with her signature feathers. Today they were white, which matched her shirt in a nice contrast to her skin tone.

"Oh, good, you're here," Annabeth responded, hugging her friend. Piper took a piece of her toast in return.

"Hey, Piper," Percy greeted.

"Hey Perce. Jason's in the bathroom."

"What? Why couldn't he use the one up here?"

"He doesn't like to intrude." She smiled. "How are the new apartments?"

Percy made a face at Amy as she walked back up. "Apartments are fine. It's the roommates that are weird."

Amy made a face back at him. "Yeah, well at least I drink normal colored soda," she retaliated. "Piper!" She threw her arms up and excitedly hugged the indian girl, even though they'd just met.

Piper laughed and hugged her back. "I heard something about a shopping spree?"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!**

 **What demigods would you guys like to see in the story?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello once again! I shall start this chapter with a warning: It is a short chapter, and a slight cliffhanger. I'll upload the next part as soon as I can, but I just couldn't wait to post this!**

 **To my wonderful reviewers:**

 **, DecemberRome, nateeger, whalegirl, and Thebookthief- You guys are the best! So encouraging, you have no idea how much it helps to hear that! Thank you for all the suggestions and support!**

 **Disclaimer: I own Amy, Seb, and Bad Hair Day.**

* * *

"I'm enlisting you two to find me a boyfriend. I've seen your work and have decided that you two are the best candidates for the job." Amy spoke with food in her mouth, a trait that Annabeth was used to thanks to Percy.

Piper laughed, Annabeth smiled.

"Let's see," Piper started. "Leo's taken now."

"Leo is a hot name," Amy responded.

"You have no idea," Piper muttered.

"Well now I really want to meet him." Amy asked.

"I didn't mean- nevermind. What about Malcolm? Your brother," Piper questioned, looking at Annabeth.

"Nah," Annabeth said. "Malcolm's too focused on school."

Amy twirled her fork. "Yeah, focus isn't really my thing." She started packing her trash together. "Where to next? There's a shoe store down the block. Or, there's this kinda new-agey type place with really cute upcycled stuff. Hats, mostly. Well, all hats. It's a hat store."

"I don't need a hat, I have my Yankee cap," Annabeth argued.

"I prefer to just wear my feathers," Piper agreed.

"Sweethearts, we can do so much better than braids and ballcaps. We're going to my hat store. You'll love it." Amy didn't say it meanly, but teasingly. She began to walk down the sidewalk. "How'd you meet Percy and Jason?"

The other girls were quiet for a moment.

"I met Percy at a summer camp," Annabeth said. "When we were twelve."

"Oh my goodness, that's so cute. You guys are like nineteen now? Gosh that's cute." Amy skipped for a couple steps, purse bouncing at her hip. "What about you, Pipes?"

Piper winced at the nickname, but decided to let it slide. "I actually met Jason in a long-term juvenile detention center."

Amy suddenly froze. "You met him in Juvie?! You… he… but you're such nice people!" She said it a little loudly for Piper to be comfortable.

"Are you a criminal?" She whispered loudly. "Is she a criminal?" She asked again, turning to Annabeth.

Piper and Annabeth couldn't help but laugh. "No, no, I'm not a criminal. Jason isn't either," Piper said, seeing Amelia about to burst with her next question.

"How'd you go to juvy?"

"Long story. Hey, is that the hat store?" Annabeth noticed that she was quick to change the subject, and was grateful herself. 'Long story' was demigod code for 'I could fill ten books with how much I've been through.' Though no demigod could sit still long enough to read ten books, let alone write them.

"Oh yeah. This is the place." Amy confidently stepped into 'Bad Hair Day,' which was written on a sign in green, scaly block letters. There was a cartoon picture of Medusa next to it, her snake hair curling around the end of the letters.

Annabeth and Piper shared a wary glance. Monsters were known for blending into human society now and then, as monster donut had proved. However, Amelia was already inside, and she was very mortal. Annabeth wasn't sure if it'd be safer to go inside, where they could protect Amy should something happen, or to stay outside, so that if there were monsters inside they wouldn't be alerted to the presence of two (rather powerful) demigods.

"It's just a dumb store sign, right?" Piper asked warily.

"I'm sure," Annabeth responded, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.

They went in.

Amy had been right. The store did have a lot of cute hats. Annabeth watched as Piper tried on a headband with a dressy, feathered hat tilted to the left of her head. Of course it looked perfect on her. That girl couldn't look bad in anything.

Annabeth pretended to have an itch on her leg, so she could reach down and slip her dagger from her boot. She stealthily put it in the waistband of her jeans, hoping no one would notice the slight bulge in her t-shirt. She grabbed a messenger bag from a nearby rack and slid it over her hip.

Making her way to the back of the store, she spots Amy talking to an employee about how she "just loves her contacts," and about her "unique choice of tattoo." Annabeth approaches the register, but as soon as she gets within fifteen feet, the middle aged woman behind the counter begins to sniff the air. Her pupils dilate.

And just when Annabeth had been starting to enjoy simple pleasures, such as a day out without having to send something to Tartarus.

She made her way to Piper, stopping to act like she was interested in a gray pillbox hat on the way. She put it on. "Piper," she called excitedly. "Look! This would match that dress I have perfectly, for when we go to that derby convention next week!"

Piper smiled. "Oh my gods, you're totally right!" She sounded happy, playing along, but her eyes questioned Annabeth.

They looked in the mirror together, admiring each other's choice of headdress. "You can clear the store, right?" Annabeth said quietly, still smiling.

"Course I can," Piper responded just as happily, gesturing to a floppy hat on the stand next to them.

"You're sure?"

"Beautiful people never lie." She carefully removed the headband she was wearing and set it back on the rack behind them.

"Start with Amy."

"Gotcha." Annabeth watched in the mirror as Piper went over to Amy. "Hey Ames, do you wanna go shoe shopping?"

Amy held up her shopping bags. "We already got shoes, you goofball."

"You wanna go shoe shopping."

"Sounds great, I'll be next door." Just like that, Amy left the store.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated, as always! Tell me what's wrong with it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! I don't know why, this chapter gave me a some difficulties in not wanting to be written. Thank you bananannabeth, Zahra Woodard, and whalegirl for reviewing! Very appreciated! And chowstaniscool- I appreciate your review too, for some reason the website does not like when I type your name here. Sorry! I have to type it without the dot. Weird.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nada**

* * *

Piper made her way around to the other customers, suggesting different stores and restaurants to all of them. A couple employees glared, knowing they'd been discovered.

One of them, a teenager in a red beanie, briskly made her way over to Annabeth. "Hi, Miss, I'm very sorry, but I'm gonna have to ask you to step out. You're bothering the customers."

Annabeth's hand rested on her hip, where her dagger was hidden. She widened her eyes in shock. "Me? I've just been looking at this shelf."

The teenager looked uncomfortable. Annabeth noticed a swirl of a tattoo on her collarbone, sticking out from the edge of her shirt. Her eyes were green. An unnatural, bright green. "You're driving the customers away," she hissed. A literal hiss, she showed off sharp fangs and a forked tongue.

Annabeth looked around the store. Clear, except for Piper, who was looking smugly toward the employee. Annabeth put on her best confused face. "What customers?"

The girl growled, and Annabeth pulled her dagger. The middle aged woman behind the counter had disappeared for the meantime, and Annabeth took the opportunity to dispose of the younger worker. Spoils of war: a (now dusty) red beanie and some silver studded bracelets.

Piper sauntered over, dagger in hand. "I could've sworn there were at least three of them."

"Don't jinx… too late." Annabeth watched as the middle aged lady led five other monsters from the back, all wearing Bad Hair Day merchandise, all dracaena.

"Here we go," Piper said cheerfully, but Annabeth noticed how white her knuckles were on the dagger grip, and remembered that Piper hadn't been a fighter as long as she had.

Annabeth decided to take advantage of the fact that there were monsters in front of her, and she needed to know about the increased activity in the city. "Why are you here?" She probably could've been more subtle about it, but having monsters in front of her always flustered her more than she let on. She'd learned to keep most of her nerves from getting to her.

"Demigods," the lady, who seemed to be the leader, hissed. She was slowly growing and scales were beginning to spread around her eyes and hands. They began to advance.

* * *

Back at the apartment, the boys were having a conflict of their own.

"What. Is. _That_?!" Seb yelled, pulling his feet onto the couch. He'd never seen anything like it, and frankly, it was scaring him.

"Monster." Percy grimaced, pulling out a sword. "We have to kill it."

Jason was screaming "Die" over and over from the loveseat. "Killitkillitkillitdon'tletittouchmeplease."

"Wait a second, how'd you get a sword?" Seb asked, backing away as fast as possible.

"It's shooting at me!" Jason screamed again.

Percy attacked, already possessing the knowledge that he could die for his friends here. The monster only took three hits before disappearing. Spoils of war: an arrow.

He breathed heavily. "You guys stressing did not help at all. Seb, you have to make a sword. Cut down a tree and make a pickaxe, then use that to get stone, and there's a crafting table in the house. Jason, seriously? It's like you guys haven't played minecraft before."

* * *

Piper stabbed one of the demons through the chest and it screamed, dissolving into dust. Spoils of war: a gold colored bracelet cuff. Hazel would appreciate that. Annabeth leapt over the counter in one fluid motion, kicking the leading lady in the face as she did so. She caught the net of another with her free hand, and while the monster was confused, she stabbed that one too. Spoils of War: flower shaped earrings. Calypso would like those.

Annabeth and Piper disposed of the last two simultaneously, leaving just about the entire store's floor area covered in dust. Spoils of war: a blue beanie and some blonde hair extensions. Percy and Seb could have the beanies, maybe. She smirked as she thought about giving the hair extensions to Jason.

Annabeth walked back behind the counter, placing her boot on the chest of the one she'd kicked down. She leaned toward her face, smelling the monster's putrid breath. She hated dracaena.

"Why are there suddenly more monsters in New York?"

The monster's eyes had been glazed over, but now they came back into focus on Annabeth's face. She growled deep in her throat. "I won't tell a demigod." She said the name like a curse, and spit in Annabeth's face. She stood while Annabeth was off balance, knocking the blonde down. She started to run, which had to be hard to do when your legs are snake trunks.

"Stop," Piper said. She'd been quiet this whole time, but now she was in her element.

The monster froze.

"Turn around, please." Piper hopped up on the counter. Annabeth smirked.

"You should tell us what the monsters are doing here. In New York. I mean, they're always in New York, but you already know that. And I'm willing to bet you also know why there have been more recently. All you have to do is tell us why. Then you're free to go." Piper smiled sweetly, and the charmspeak had affected even Annabeth, to the point that she felt as though she owed Piper an explanation for the very case she was trying to figure out.

"I… won't tell… they're trying to get jobs." The monster glared at Piper, as if she knew she was being forced to speak.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how do you expect monsters to make a living in the world, so that they can afford to search for demigods? Killing you is our greatest pleasure, but there's a process. Fake IDs, currency. Too much to worry about. And speaking of things to worry about- there's a shift change in thirty seconds." She smiled smugly, as if she had won.

Annabeth finished her off quickly.

"Annabeth, I said I'd let her go if she told us what we wanted." Piper wiped her dagger on a sunhat.

" _You_ did. I didn't say anything." Annabeth picked up the spoils and put them in the messenger bag she'd grabbed what seemed like forever ago. She decided to change the subject when she saw Piper's frown. "But seriously? They're trying to get jobs? I don't know if I buy that."

" She had to tell the truth. Charmspeak, remember?"

"Right, right." Annabeth thought for a minute. Monsters running stores? Why did that sound familiar… She snapped her fingers, and it made Piper jump. "Monster Donut!"

"What? Monster… what?"

"A few years ago, Percy and I came across a chain restaurant, called Monster Donut. Run fully by monsters, for monsters. This could be something similar, only on a bigger scale."

"Heh. Scale," Piper muttered. At Annabeth's questioning look, she shrugged slightly. "Get it? Cause dracaena. Scales."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You sound like Percy."

Piper laughed, but turned serious quickly. "We should tell him and Jason. Get their opinions." She looked around the store, selecting a couple hats and some new feathers, and put them in Annabeth's messenger bag. "Is it wrong to steal from monsters?"

"I won't say anything." She glanced toward the back of the store. "We need to leave. Let's grab Amy and run."

Piper nodded her consent, and the two girls left to get their oblivious friend.

* * *

 **I love reviews! Tell me what I'm doing wrong! Have a good day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry. I should've updated sooner, I mistakenly called Small Bob 'Lil' Bob' in a previous chapter (it's fixed now) and on top of that, this chapter is short and kinda boring. But I appreciate you guys sticking with me.**

 **Thank you for the reviews! Each and every one is greatly appreciated. Thank you bananannabeth (I was hoping people would like it), December Rome (my good friend and proof reader, love her), SeaSpree (good interesting or bad interesting?), Guest review (thank you! That really means a lot!), LostFerret (I needed the correction)(And the encouragement), Thebookthief (very encouraging, thank you so much), and Matt Cipher (Very uplifting and a well-worded review, thank you).**

 **I feel like I'm reviewing my reviews.**

 **I'll shut up now.**

 **Though that's one of my favorite things to do.**

 **Anywho. Story.**

 **Disclaimer first! If I owned Percy Jackson, the movies would be done better.**

* * *

Percy smirked at Annabeth's explanation of the scenario. Jason pursed his lips. The four demigods were currently hiding in the apartment bathroom, which happened to be a tad small for all of them. Jason was standing in the shower. Piper was sitting on the counter. Percy was sitting on the back of the toilet, his feet on the bowl, which reminded Annabeth of the fact that he had a tendency to ruin plumbing systems. He twirled Riptide between his fingers.

Annabeth leaned against the wall, her brain still spinning with the new information from the battle. She wiped her dagger with a hand towel, something she did when she was anxious. Not that these monsters would be a problem, no, that wasn't it. She could handle any monster thrown at her, and if she couldn't, Percy was there to back her up. Not to mention Piper and Jason.

She was worried about the mortals. Amy and Seb were innocents, and very kind to open their homes. But they didn't know their roommates secrets, and they could get hurt easily. That was the last thing any of them wanted.

Percy's brow furrowed. "So let me get this straight. They want jobs? That's it? Money?"

"Well they're not gonna miss out on an opportunity to kill demigods while they're at it. We saw that firsthand." Piper looked at Annabeth, her kaleidoscope eyes reflecting the blonde girl's nervousness.

"We need to find all of their safehouses. All of the stores they run. If it is like this… Monster Donut… that you guys saw, then we need to stop them before they run all of New York." Jason had that steely determination in his eyes that only a Praetor of New Rome could.

"Then I guess it's decided. Let's send their ugly podexes back to Tartarus." Percy smirked, that trouble-maker half-grin that Annabeth had learned to love.

"Uh, the plural of podex is podices, Aquaman." Jason smirked at him.

"Well, I can whip your po _dice_ while I'm at it, Flyboy."

They started laughing, while the girls rolled their eyes. Ever since they'd gotten over their masculinity/ dominance rivalry, they'd actually started to become really good friends. Really good friends that still love to make fun of each other.

"Amy and Seb will be wondering," Annabeth said. "Let's get back to them."

The four left the bathroom and returned to the living room, where the two mortals were in an intense game of Mario Kart. As usual, Amy talked as Seb just glanced and kept quiet.

"Where were you guys?" She asked, not looking away from the game. Her arms moved with the controller, like it would help her drive better.

"Bathroom," Percy said, and then winced, as if realizing that there was probably a better excuse.

Her brow furrowed. "All of you?"

"Cleaning the bathtub." Jason tried to help. It didn't make it much better.

At this, Amy paused the game. Seb put his controller down, eyebrow twitching as if he were about to raise it questioningly. "All four of you?"

"Big bathtub," Percy explained. He grabbed a coke from the fridge, acting as though the matter was settled.

"It's normal," Piper said hurriedly. Annabeth could feel the charmspeak.

Amy looked confused for a second more, and then shrugged, deciding her game was more important.

Annabeth glared at Percy. He was honestly one of the worst liars she'd ever known. He'd never been good at excuses, the Seaweed Brain. This is why she should do the talking. And she would've, had she not been thinking about how many possible monster-run stores there could be. Not to mention finding them all. Not to mention shutting them down. Not to mention keeping it all from Amelia…

Amelia. Maybe she could help.

Annabeth sat down on the couch, pretending to watch the game. "Hey, Amy?"

"Mm?" She grunted, obviously engrossed in both the game and the brownie she'd stuffed in her mouth between laps.

"Piper and I really enjoyed the hat store today. Are there any more of them around the city?"

"There's a salon on 7th. It is neat, isn't it? And Piper, I'm glad you- Sebastian, I swear to goodness- suggested shoe shopping again, because I got these." She threw her foot onto the table, revealing a pair of brown, lace-up, over-the-knee boots with heels. The heels probably served to make her taller, but serving as she was so short, they didn't do much good.

"See? Piper knows best." Piper smiled, brushing a braid from her face.

"That's right she does," Amy agreed. "I'm never- eat my dust, Sebastian- taking these off."

Annabeth allowed a moment to laugh before continuing in her questioning. "A salon?" She turned to Piper. "We should definitely go there."

By this point, Percy and Jason had moved to the other side of the living room, watching Seb lose to Amy and giving him helpful tips that weren't so helpful. Their video game skills were… lacking.

"Sure. It is break, right? Let's go tomorrow. Oh, boys, you could totally come too. We can- ooh, you did not just hit me, Sebastian- grab breakfast, too. There's a Monster Donut down the street from where we wanna go."

Percy choked on his coke. Annabeth forced a smile. "Sounds great."

* * *

 **Yeah... short chapter. Sorry again. I've been thinking about doing an Avengers story. I really want to, actually. About them all moving in and getting used to each other. Probably been done before, but I just love Marvel... I wanna do a cliche X-Men one, too, but at the same time, I don't want it to be cliche. Anywho. Thoughts? I think a Percy and superhero crossover would be awesome to write.**

 **Have a good day you guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I**

 **Am**

 **So**

 **Sorry**

 **I've gotta be the worst ever. I got super distracted this summer, with traveling and stuff, and then school started... I'm so, so, so sorry I haven't posted. *cries***

 ***sniffle* Thank you for the reviews... They're so lovely. Bananannabeth- that review was a day-maker. I love that you're curious about the next chapters. Dizzydaisy37- I like crossovers too! They're interesting for sure. SapphireTrafficker- good interesting or bad interesting? ;) And everyone is entitled to their own opinion. DecemberRome- Thank you Rey, as always. Matanator- thank you! So encouraging. And Guest... I wish you had a name. You win the best review contest (that doesn't actually exist...) But seriously! Made my day! Thank you so much!  
**

 **Here you go, guys. Sorry again.**

 **Oh, and I don't own Percy Jackson and Co. *more crying***

* * *

No, Amy. It was not a floor show.

It had been the first question out of the girl's mouth when the pudgy employee had suddenly become violent. Annabeth's throat was too dry to warn the girl that they were in real danger. At the same time, another part of her wanted to slap the goofy grin off of her face. They were in. Real. Danger.

"Demigods," the monster growled, baring yellow teeth and sprouting fur simultaneously.

Of course, Annabeth had vouched to make up an excuse to get out of entering the donut shop. The others had figured they could handle themselves, and hopefully do some quick talking to Amy and Seb if needed.

Which is what they needed now, preferably from Piper. Something to distract and keep Amy and Seb from seeing through the mist.

"I don't think it's a floor show, Amelia," Seb responded, standing up alongside Percy and the others. "Something's off."

Annabeth grimaces as Percy pulls Riptide out. She can only imagine what it would look like to them- a baseball bat? A pool noodle? Either way, it wasn't natural to be able to fit those objects in a pocket.

The monster was taking its time reverting to its non-human form. There was a sick crackling noise as it sprouted horns from its shaggy hair.

Amelia covered her ears and burrowed her head in Seb's shoulder. He wrapped a protective arm around her, pulling her back. "Percy?" He asked warily.

"Get her outside," Percy hesitated before giving the command, but delivered it like only a leader can.

Seb nodded silently and pulled Amelia out. She followed (silently for once), but kept looking over her shoulder at the four friends, who were bravely facing whatever was to come. Piper held the door open for the retreating customers. Annabeth pulled a dagger from the hidden sheath in the small of her back.

"Do we interrogate? Or do we just take him down?" Percy asked her quietly. "Shouldn't be too hard. I mean, his head is touching the ceiling. He's almost too big to move around."

Annabeth sighed. Sometimes she was really done with the fighting and killing and everything. It'd be nice to have a normal life for once…

The monster roared, snapping her from her thoughts. The hair on his back bristled and brushed the ceiling, like Percy said. His teeth looked almost too big for his wolf-like mouth. Annabeth almost felt sick just _looking_ at the size of his claws. He looked almost were-wolfish. Like a telkhine, but the size of a titan.

"It's like a giant furby," Percy muttered.

Annabeth had believed him when he'd said that it wouldn't be able to move around very well.

He'd been wrong.

It dropped onto all fours and charged the four demigods. Percy and Piper ran around to the back of the store, planning to attack from behind. They'd fought together enough to know how to cooperate without complaint.

He turned, sniffing toward Percy. A low growl, throaty and deep, made its way through bared teeth. "You're ruining everything," it said. Annabeth hadn't been sure that he could talk, but his voice was just as wolfish as his appearance.

"Yeah, and I thought this was gonna be a nice vacation," Jason complained. "Looks like we're both out of luck." He picked up a chair, judging its weight, and threw it. It shattered against the monster's back right leg.

It growled and turned back toward Annabeth and Jason.

Percy was quick to take the given opportunity, and jumped onto the monster's back. He jabbed the monster between the shoulder blades, and the thing howled loud enough to make the whole building rumble. It began to dissolve. He half fell, half jumped off, glowering. "Amy is probably freaking out."

"And Seb?" Jason asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

Percy grimaced, and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… about him… he knows I'm a demigod."

Annabeth stayed silent. She couldn't really blame him for telling the roommate he'd been living with for months, especially a quiet guy like Seb. But telling Amy… that girl had quite the talkative tendencies.

Seeing the group's stricken expressions, Percy held his hands up innocently. "Amy doesn't know. For sure. Sebastian hasn't told her."

There was a collective exhale.

"Well… I guess she's probably made her guess now."

"I can talk to her," Annabeth offered. "I am her roommate."

"I've known her longer," Percy said.

"We can all talk to her," Piper urged. "The whole group might help-"

"Or it could psych her out," Jason interrupted.

Percy glanced outside. "I think they went back to the apartments."

Annabeth sighed. "Let's get this over with."

They made their way to the apartments quickly, but decided to leave Jason and Piper out of it for a few minutes. They weren't disappointed. Amy and Seb were sitting in the boys' room, X-Box controllers in hand, cokes on the table in front of them. Amy's remained unopened. Annabeth honestly didn't know what to expect. Tears? Anger? But Amy's emotions were hidden behind a detached expression that didn't match her personality at all.

She paused the game. Looked at the group. "So… what are you, then?"

The demigods exchanged glances.

"Don't play dumb," she said. "They all have names. Wizards. Shadowhunters. Lunars. Avengers. _Aliens._ "

"Demigods," Percy said.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but Annabeth interrupted. "Half human, half god."

She thought for a moment, but didn't seem particularly surprised. "That makes me feel better."

"Wha- how could that possibly make you feel better?" Percy, feeling comfortable in his own apartment again, grabbed her untouched soda can and popped it open.

"I mean, have you seen you?" Amy looked from Percy to Annabeth. "I _knew_ normal humans couldn't be so attractive. I was really starting to worry about myself."

Annabeth couldn't help but laugh. She'd been worried that Amy would have a bad reaction to what they really were, but the reality was so much sweeter. Especially when Amy stood up, still wearing the ridiculous boots, and hugged Annabeth.

"You guys should've told me. I could've helped you."

Percy snorted. "How do you plan on helping us?"

Amy scoffed. "Um, I'm a good fighter. Obviously." She flipped her hair over one shoulder. "I know karate."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

Seb, who'd been true to character in his silence, decided to pipe up. "Amelia, you quit after two years."

"So?"

"It was in second grade."

"Pfft. It's still karate." The four shared a laugh, and Amy sat back down before crossing her arms and glancing at Annabeth.

"So. You're half a roommate, then?"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Have a good day, Lovelies! Reviews are my favorite! Tell me what I'm doing wrong!**


End file.
